Fdim Ukulele Chord

Fdim is the F diminished chord, a diminished triad. It has three notes: F, A♭ and B. No open string helps here: the standard shape uses all four fingers between the 2nd and 5th frets, with the root on the C string and the flat five sounding on both outside strings.

Root on the C string at the 5th fret under the pinky, with the flat five, B, sounding on both outside strings. Fully fretted and movable.

How to play Fdim on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: 2nd fret, A string
Middle finger: 4th fret, G string
Ring finger: 4th fret, E string
Pinky finger: 5th fret, C string
Strum all four strings.

Nothing rings open, so the grip is movable: slide it up one fret for F#dim, and every fret after that names a new diminished chord.

More ways to play Fdim

There are 2 common Fdim shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Fdim ukulele chord diagram, frets 7 to 10, played 10 8 7 8 — Frets 7 to 10

If it buzzes or sounds dead

The A string note lags behind: The index sits at the 2nd fret, three frets below the pinky, and tends to get left flat. Place its tip behind the fret and check the note on its own.
The G and E strings blur: Middle and ring finger share the 4th fret on strings either side of the C string. Curl both so each stands on its own string without leaning.
The root is not the loudest note: The pinky carries F at the 5th fret of the C string, and a soft pinky makes the whole chord sound rootless. Give it more weight than feels natural at first.

What makes it an Fdim

F · A♭ · B 1 ♭3 ♭5

Fdim is two minor thirds stacked: F up to A♭, then up three more frets. The top note is strictly spelled C♭, the same pitch as B, and charts write B. F minor would reach up to C; the diminished chord stops one fret short, and that flat fifth is the whole engine of its tension.

Fdim is the leading tone chord of F♯ (the same chord as G♭): it sits one fret below and climbs in. F, A♭ and B are also three of the four notes of D♭7, so Fdim leans toward G♭ exactly the way D♭7 does.

Fdim vs Fm

Both start with F and A♭. F minor finishes with C and sounds settled; Fdim finishes with B, strictly C♭, one fret lower, and cannot stay put.

Fm can carry a song section on its own. Fdim is a connector, a beat or two of climb on the way up a fret. On the ukulele Fm is also the easier grip, three fingers against Fdim's four.

Fdim chord questions

Why does the diagram show B instead of Cb?

Strict theory spells the flat fifth of F as C♭, which is the same pitch as B. Charts use B because nobody reads C flat mid song.

What is the difference between Fdim and Fdim7?

Fdim is the three note triad: F, A♭, B. Fdim7 adds a diminished seventh, D, for a four note sound. Many ukulele songbooks chart the four note grip whenever they write dim; this page is the plain triad.

What does Fdim resolve to?

F♯ (written G♭ in flat keys), one half step up, or its minor. The upward pull is the chord's whole purpose.

Is Fdim hard to play?

It is one of the harder diminished shapes: four fingers, no open strings, and a reach from the 2nd to the 5th fret. There is no barre, and the grip slides everywhere once learned.

What does F° mean?

The small circle is the standard symbol for diminished. F°, Fdim and F diminished all name the same three notes.